Average Ratio (average + ratio)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Landed and discarded catches from commercial prawn trammel net fishery

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
G. Gökçe
Summary This study presents estimates of numbers and biomass of discarded and landed catches from the commercial prawn trammel net fishery in ,zmir Bay. A total of 43 finfish and 29 invertebrate species were identified in catches sampled between May and October 2003, with 26 species landed by fishers and 46 species discarded. Melicertus kerathurus, Mullus barbatus and Solea solea dominated the landed catches. Average ratio of landed to discarded fish by number and weight was estimated as 1 : 2.32 and 1 : 0.77, respectively, demonstrating relatively low by-catch ratios compared to other shrimp by-catch studies. This study shows that trammel nets have a much lower discard ratio than the shrimp trawls in other parts of the world. The benefits of shifting toward passive trammel nets in coastal areas are discussed. [source]


Prediction of pharmacokinetics prior to in vivo studies.

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2002

Abstract In drug discovery and nonclinical development the volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) of each novel drug candidate is commonly determined under in vivo conditions. Therefore, it is of interest to predict Vss without conducting in vivo studies. The traditional description of Vss corresponds to the sum of the products of each tissue:plasma partition coefficient (Pt:p) and the respective tissue volume in addition to the plasma volume. Because data on volumes of tissues and plasma are available in the literature for mammals, the other input parameters needed to estimate Vss are the Pt:p's, which can potentially be predicted with established tissue composition-based equations. In vitro data on drug lipophilicity and plasma protein binding are the input parameters used in these equations. Such a mechanism-based approach would be particularly useful to provide first-cut estimates of Vss prior to any in vivo studies and to explore potential unexpected deviations between sets of predicted and in vivoVss data, when the in vivo data become available during the drug development process. The objective of the present study was to use tissue composition-based equations to predict rat and human Vss prior to in vivo studies for 123 structurally unrelated compounds (acids, bases, and neutrals). The predicted data were compared with in vivo data obtained from the literature or at Roche. Overall, the average ratio of predicted-to-experimental rat and human Vss values was 1.06 (SD,=,0.817, r,=,0.78, n,=,147). In fact, 80% of all predicted values were within a factor of two of the corresponding experimental values. The drugs can therefore be separated into two groups. The first group contains 98 drugs for which the predicted Vss were within a factor of two of those experimentally determined (average ratio of 1.01, SD,=,0.39, r,=,0.93, n,=,118), and the second group includes 25 other drugs for which the predicted and experimental Vss differ by a factor larger than two (average ratio of 1.32, SD,=,1.74, r,=,0.42, n,=,29). Thus, additional relevant distribution processes were neglected in predicting Vss of drugs of the second group. This was true especially in the case of some cationic-amphiphilic bases. The present study is the first attempt to develop and validate a mechanistic distribution model for predicting rat and human Vss of drugs prior to in vivo studies. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 91:129,156, 2002 [source]


Observations on the Macroscopic Anatomy of the Intestinal Tract and its Mesenteric Folds in the Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus, Linnaeus 1758)

ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 4 2008
W. Pérez
Summary We described the macroscopic anatomy of the intestines and their peritoneal folds of five adult pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), a cervid species considered to ingest a high proportion of grass in its natural diet. The mean (±SD) body weight was 17 (±2) kg. The small intestine and the caecocolon measured 495 (±37) cm and 237 (±24) cm in length, respectively, with an average ratio (small intestine:caecocolon) of 1.9 (±0.1). The ascending colon had two and a half centripetal gyri, a central flexure and two centrifugal gyri. The spiral ansa, which was similar to an ellipse, was fixed to the whole left face of the mesenterium. Apart from the peritoneal folds described in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, three additional, hitherto not described folds were found: a fold that fixed the caecum to the proximal ansa of the ascending colon, one that joined the terminal part of the proximal ansa to the last centrifugal gyrus of the spiral ansa of the ascending colon, and one that linked the ascending duodenum to the proximal ansa of the ascending colon. When compared with published data from other cervids of different feeding niches, it appears that, among cervids, the ratio of small intestine to the caecocolon length does not reflect the natural diet. [source]


A SNP/microsatellite genetic linkage map of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2009
T. Moen
Summary A first genetic linkage map of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was produced, based on segregation data from 12 full-sib families of Norwegian origin. The map contained 174 single nucleotide polymorphism markers and 33 microsatellites, distributed on 25 linkage groups and had a length of 1225 cM. A significant difference in recombination rates between sexes was found, the average ratio of female:male recombination rates being 1.78 ± 1.62 (SD). [source]


Sonographic detection of the optic radiation

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2005
Annemieke Boxma
Abstract Objective: To describe a region of hyperechoic white matter adjacent to the atrium of the lateral ventricle of preterms, and to speculate on the relevance of detecting preterm white matter injury. Patients and methods: Cranial ultrasound images of 92 preterms of gestational age (GA) 32 wk or less were reviewed. For each infant, one first week standard coronal image was used for measurement of grey values around the para-atrial region of interest (PAROI) relative to the choroid plexus. For verification of the sonographic anatomy, MR images of an adult brain were used. For reference, neuro-anatomical images were compared in several atlases. In a group of nine preterms of similar GA with cystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) or MR-confirmed white matter disease, the disappearance of the PAROI was examined. Results: The hyperechoic para-atrial area, subjectively detected in 84% of the patients, was situated bilaterally between the inner end of the lateral fissure and the upper third of the choroid plexus. In white matter caudal to the atrium, the hyperechoic band could be pursued towards the calcarine area. The average ratio of grey value around the PAROI to the choroid plexus was 0.787 (SD=0.072, median 0.791). There was no correlation between PAROI grey value and gestational age. At 26 wk gestational age, the average ratio was 0.781 (n=14), and 0.789 (n=17) at 31 wk. Location of the PAROI agrees with the angle of the upper loop of the optic radiation. None of the nine infants with white matter damage had PAROIs clearly distinguishable from flaring. Conclusion: The symmetrical and unchanged acoustic character between 26 and 31 wk of gestational age argues in favour of the hypothesis that the PAROI is an anatomical structure. The localization of the hyperechoic band supports the hypothesis that it represents part of the optic radiation. Further study is needed to examine the absence of a hyperechoic para-atrial band as a prognostic marker of the extension and severity of white matter injury. [source]


Solving nursing shortages: a common priority

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 24 2008
James Buchan
Aims and objectives., This paper provides a context for this special edition. It highlights the scale of the challenge of nursing shortages, but also makes the point that there is a policy agenda that provides workable solutions. Results., An overview of nurse:population ratios in different countries and regions of the world, highlighting considerable variations, with Africa and South East Asia having the lowest average ratios. The paper argues that the ,shortage' of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications, it is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the present conditions. The causes of shortages are multi-faceted, and there is no single global measure of their extent and nature, there is growing evidence of the impact of relatively low staffing levels on health care delivery and outcomes. The main causes of nursing shortages are highlighted: inadequate workforce planning and allocation mechanisms, resource constrained undersupply of new staff, poor recruitment, retention and ,return' policies, and ineffective use of available nursing resources through inappropriate skill mix and utilisation, poor incentive structures and inadequate career support. Conclusions., What now faces policy makers in Japan, Europe and other developed countries is a policy agenda with a core of common themes. First, themes related to addressing supply side issues: getting, keeping and keeping in touch with relatively scarce nurses. Second, themes related to dealing with demand side challenges. The paper concludes that the main challenge for policy makers is to develop a co-ordinated package of policies that provide a long term and sustainable solution. Relevance to clinical practice., This paper highlights the impact that nursing shortages has on clinical practice and in health service delivery. It outlines scope for addressing shortage problems and therefore for providing a more positive staffing environment in which clinical practice can be delivered. [source]


Colocalization of GABA and glycine in the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus in rat: An in situ hybridization and semiquantitative immunocytochemical study

THE JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2001
Raquel Riquelme
Abstract We have studied by in situ hybridization for GAD65 mRNA in thick sections and by semiquantitative postembedding immunocytochemistry in consecutive semithin sections, the expression of ,-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine in cell bodies and axosomatic puncta of the rat ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL), a prominent monaural brainstem auditory structure. The in situ hybridization and the densitometric analysis of the immunostaining suggest that the rat VNLL contains two main populations of neurons. Approximately one-third of neurons are unstained with either technique and are presumably excitatory; their cell bodies are enveloped by a large number of glycine-immunoreactive puncta. Most if not all of the remaining two-thirds colocalize GABA and glycine and are assumed to be inhibitory. These two populations show a complementary distribution within the VNLL, with inhibitory neurons located mainly ventrally and excitatory neurons dorsally. In scatterplots of gray values measured from cell bodies, the double-labeled cells appear to form a single cluster in terms of their staining intensities for the two transmitter candidates. However, this cluster may have to be further subdivided because cells with extreme GABA/glycine ratios differ from those with average ratios with respect to location or size. The VNLL seems unique among auditory structures by its large number of neurons that colocalize GABA and glycine. Although the functional significance of this colocalization remains unknown, our results suggest that the VNLL exerts convergent excitatory and inhibitory influences over the inferior colliculus, which may underlie the timing processing in the auditory midbrain. J. Comp. Neurol. 432:409,424, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]